Sorry if this one's a little gory. I've been watching Hannibal while sick in bed, so if this one's a bit short I apologise – I'm not really feeling the writing mood rn :S
For Sakura Lisel as a reward for her patience :) hope this lives up to your expectations!
Are You In Or Out (Aladdin and the King of Thieves) – The Mother
It was dark in the caves, illuminated only by the faint torches held by captains. All was black. The roof above them was black; the floor beneath them was black; the blood that trickled around the waiting hoard's feet was black. Black were the lips of the slaughtered envoy as his lifeblood oozed thickly from them. Black were the matted locks of the enormous broodmother towering above them, black were her hollow, crazed eyes, black were her rotten fanged teeth as she howled into the abyss of the cave ceiling.
"Tell me…" she began, her voice a thick, strangled growl as she swirled the new words around her mouth like stagnant water. "Will there be any... more disloyalty?"
The darkspawn surrounding her gazed at her, that strange new emotion – adoration – pulsing from them in waves. The genlock at their Mother's feet twitched as the burly Hurlock, Mother's First, slid the gnarled lance from between his ribs before moving away. Those closest to the front inhaled its putrid stench of vomit, blood, and excrement as it finally died.
"No, Mother," they chanted, eyes fixed on her gaunt face. Lashes of grime and spit and gluey blood dripped down her chin, her breathing heavy and laboured, tiers of pallid drooping breasts heaving as she surveyed her children.
Her head sank as she began to cry. Tar-like tears seeped from dank sockets as she covered her face with her hands, spindly fingers clawing at he cheeks. "Remember… before," she commanded between sobs. "Remember… the Voice!"
There was a general rumble of acquiescence as the spawn grunted. Some had mastered speech more than others.
Mother's face snapped up again, her jaw clenched. She remembered the Voice, she could hear its loss in her mind, filled in place by her own thoughts, scrambled and cluttered as a skirmish ground, and she clutched her temples before shrieking – anything to fill the void where the Voice had been. No more of her children would leave her for their… Father.
"I remember a time," she cried, "when Blights were sublime – there was plenty of rot in the air.We'd plunder and pillage, and ransack a village with nary a worry or care…" Father's twisted face seemed to float before her wild eyes, and she reached out with clawed hands to tear it. "Then along came this mage with his soft-hearted dream," she spat, thinking of his pathetic whines of working with the humans, "but he ratted us out in the end!" She shook her head, her purple lips twisting into a grimace as if to catch the bile spilling from her throat with every word. "So rally the troops!" she called, "we were meant to re-group and return to our roots once again!"
She drew herself up to full height, leaning over the closest of her hoard, and bellowed – "Are you in or out? You must know without a doubt!" She smirked at the terrified adulation on their faces. "I'm the one you need," she snarled, "for a dirty deed – I'm the best, success is guaranteed." Her eyes narrowed as her gaze travelled around them, searching for anything that might jeopardise her children. "Are you dark or light?" she questioned, roughly. "Take a slice of my advice!You want a fearless leader, one that's strong and stout?Better vote for me – are you in or out?"
A group of emissaries began nodding vigorously in the front. The mages seemed to have grasped speech quicker than the others. "We used to be cruel, yes," they agreed, "horrendously heartless; in ravaging raids, we were rough! We knew what we had to be blissfully bad,before this Architect's sensitive stuff!"
At the mention of Father, a few alphas spat on the dusty stone floor as if the mere sound of his adopted title sickened them. "And we strayed from the path of our rigorous wrath," they grunted, shaking their heads regretfully, "now we're taking a bath in the dust!" A genlock dragged his foot through the inch high slop of darkspawn waste coating the floor, his face a glower. "But we'll reclaim our winnings, our humble beginnings – in turmoil and torture, we trust!" they roared unanimously.
"Are you in or out?" came the cry from the hoard.
"Double-crossers or devout?" screeched Mother. "Put your faith in me, fairly soon you'll see, I'm the queen of generosity!" The First smiled blankly at her, the torn flesh of his lips stretching unnaturally over his rancid teeth.
"Are you foe or friend?"
"Here's the path I recommend!" Mother folded her arms, watching her children fondly as they rallied to her cause. "You want a ride to fame?I've got the fastest route; what's it going to be? Are you in or out?"
A band of shrieks were leaping on the spot excitedly. "We'll go killing in all the right places," they squealed, "from Ferelden hills to Rivain!"
"Imagine the fear on their faces," grunted a hurlock standing near them, "when we drop by for cookies and ale…!"
Mother smiled gleefully. "Come along, children," she half whispered seductively. "Follow Mother!" She threw her arms wide. "Are you in or out?If you're with me, give a shout!"
A wild cheer resounded from the hoard.
"I'll lead you all the way into the glory days," she promised eagerly, "We'll begin a life with the Voice that says –"
"Are you out or in?" boomed the First, his voice like a chipped sword on a grainy whetstone. "Make your choice now, sink or swim!"
"You can stick with me," threated Mother, "or stay behind and pout – what's it going to be?" She leaned back. "Consider carefully…" Her children seemed to sway with her. "Are you in or out?"
A united cry of desperation and fury rocketed through the cavern as the hoard cheered their beloved Mother, while her throaty cackles ascended into the shadows above them.
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I love writing darkspawn so much. My favourite writing is when I get to talk about the dirty and the degraded, so this was really, really fun. Plus I don't think I'm ever going to get to write "tiers of breasts" again, so that was something to cherish.
I'm going to re-write Open Door at some point, so I'll let you know when I update it. I'm actually ashamed.
IMPORTANT: There's a poll up on my profile if you guys want to help me decide a scenario for 'Gaston'. I've had two ideas and I can't pick, so I'll go with the most popular :)
A/N's
Sakura – I like that idea. I've had loads of suggestions for Let It Go so I'm piling them up and will eventually (eventually) decide on something…
Aalliyah – OMG THAT IS A FANTASTIC IDEA I LOVE IT AND I WILL DO IT SOON THANK YOU
Briminick – Thanks, glad I can brighten your day a bit :) I'm going to assume you're on a mobile device, because I actually do name all the chapters with the song involved :L
Tequila se'lai – You can indeed, and it shall go into the pile of ideas for Let It Go :)
Up Next: All at once, everything looked different.